The Washington Nationals did what it took to keep Juan Soto’s services long term. They tried to negotiate with him and offered the outfielder a $440 million contract. He said no.
Knowing he was going to test the freelance market, the Nats traded him to the Padres in a trade that gave the club plenty of quality prospects.
And as we know, since his arrival in California, the player is no longer a shadow of himself. He lost his bearings.
Last year, we said to ourselves that he had to adapt. But here it is suitable. Or at least it should be.
I don’t know what’s going on, but I know he’s not as bad as the player we’ve seen for a hundred games.
That said, I wonder if he’s as good as the player we saw in Washington.
What’s interesting is that Soto will surely want to wait before making a long-term signing. After all, he will be free after the 2024 season and he has no advantage in signing this winter – not the way he plays, anyway.
And made there, is it utopian to believe that he could contact the Nationals?
He probably never felt at home in San Diego and if that doesn’t change, he might want to get the feeling back in Washington when he’s free as the air.
There’s nothing like walking away from a place to realize that we miss it.
And the Nationals, a club Soto wanted to play for, will be better in a year and a half. Already there, they have about the same record as the Padres…
Soto could therefore sign (at less than $440 million, obviously) and the club would have had many hopes for the San Diego Padres. Butter and butter money, you say?
But in addition, they would have a revised and corrected version of the guy. After all, I’m not saying he’ll definitely come back, but if he does, it’s because he got bored and wants to be in DC
And at the moment, everything suggests that he misses Washington a bit. Even if he has been better for a few weeks, he is still not himself.
I imagine that having left a good environment will ensure that he will adapt everything to his criteria in a year and a half. As long as you take any club…
We can wonder, right?
- Josh Donaldson and Carlos Rodon are getting better.
- Hyun-Jin Ryu is in fine form.
